Cross-selling suggests complementary products: items that make the main purchase more useful, complete a look or save the customer a second order later. Think of batteries with a toy, a cleaning kit with sneakers, or a matching bag with a jacket.
Like upselling, it raises AOV and profit per order at no extra ad cost. It also introduces customers to more of your range, which can lead to repeat purchases.
- Product pages: "frequently bought together" blocks or ready-made bundles.
- Cart: low-priced add-ons, especially ones that help reach a free shipping threshold.
- Post-purchase emails: accessories and refills sent when the customer is likely to need them.
The best cross-sells are obvious and cheap compared with the main item, so adding them takes no thought. Use your order data to see what people already buy together.
Common mistakes: suggesting unrelated best sellers, showing too many options, and placing cross-sells where they distract from checkout. To spot pairings in a niche, look at the best sellers and full product lists of leading stores in Shop Analytics.